Mini Meatball and Ravioli Soup

Everything about this soup is mini, except the flavor! Packed with mini meatballs and bite-size cheese ravioli that are the perfect size for your soup spoon, it’s brimming with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and fresh spinach. It’s stick-to-your ribs, hearty, warming and filling. A soup that eats like a meal.

The soup comes together fairly quickly and doesn’t take long to cook. The meatballs have the most delicious flavor, tender but sturdy enough to hold up to the soup and cooked to the point where they want to fall apart but don’t. The next time you’re craving meatballs and pasta maybe you’ll consider something a little different, a change from the norm that’s every bit as delicious and satisfying.

Mini Meatball and Ravioli Soup

(by Reeni)

Soup:

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 roasted red pepper or green bell pepper, diced

olive oil, for sauteing

sea salt and fresh black pepper

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth (4 + 1/2 cups)

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes

14 ounces bite size cheese ravioli

3 cups fresh Spinach leaves, rough chopped

Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated for serving

Meatballs:

1 + 1/4 pound ground beef or turkey

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1. In a large soup pot saute the onion and bell pepper in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil until soft and tender, over medium low heat seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, saute until fragrant. Add the bay leaf, Italian seasoning, thyme, chicken broth, tomatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Bring slowly up to a simmer. In the meantime make the meatballs.

2. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 1-inch meatballs.

3. Once the soup is boiling carefully drop the meatballs into the pot. Bring back up to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Taste and season again with salt and pepper or Italian seasoning if needed.

4. Cook ravioli separately according to package directions. Add spinach to soup and cook for 10 minutes or until spinach is wilted. You can mix the ravioli into the soup or serve by spooning a few ravioli into each bowl and spooning soup over top. Remove bay leaf before serving with plenty of grated cheese.